Marx and Mill

I have to say that I agree with both Mill and Marx. I think that Mill makes an extremely valid argument when he states that part of our freedom is the fact that we are not coerced to do anything. One of his main arguments was that as society became more unified, values became more uniform. According to Mill this poses a grave danger because it leads to lack of individuality. Once we stop exercising our right to be ourselves, we begin to lose our freedom. It is also at this point that we become more susceptible to be swayed one way or another. Is important to keep in mind that most of the time when the state intervenes and tries to manipulate members of its society, it is never done in a direct way but rather in a more subtle form.  For Mill the idea of the state intervening in one’s life in one way or another was catastrophic.

However, if the state were to be on the sidelines all the time who would protect society against injustice? In this instance is when I see myself agreeing with Marx. While it is great to keep our freedom and individuality, it does come with a high price sometimes. Being that no individual is like another (even amongst family members) not everybody has the same good intentions at heart. So in the case presented by Marx in regards to the disparities that stem from different economic classes; it is imperative to have the state intervene. This, however, does not mean that we would be able to make our own choices. They would be limited by the boundaries the state would put into place. I think that due to the type of society that we live in, the involvement of the state is inevitable even if we try to fool ourselves to think otherwise.